‘Game Of Thrones’: Winter Has Come And With Allies, Books, And Justice-Part 4 Of 4

And welcome to Part 4 of my Game of Thrones The Winds of Winter review!!! So much happened last night, it needed to be split up into four parts.

The first you can read here, which is all about the events taking place in the North. Part 2 you can read here, about Daenerys and what’s going on in Meereen, and Part 3 you can check out here, which focuses on the massacre that took place last night in King’s Landing, and the Mad Queen that rose from the ashes.

But now I’m here to talk about the other plots. The smaller (and by smaller I mean the ones that took up less time in this episode), but no less important ones. So let’s get to it!

THE TWINS:

Here at the twins, the Lannister army joins in a feast with the Freys, and I must say, I was a little too reminded of the Red Wedding. But I also knew that Jaime had survived this long because of intelligence. Along with Bronn, they would have smelled a trap if there was one. So, as uneasy as I was, I was comforted by that knowledge.

Bronn is a little jealous of Jaime, let’s just put that out there. The girl who is pouring their wine can barely take her eyes off of Jaime, though he’s just sitting there. So Jaime points out two girls that are eyeing Bronn, but whoops, nope, they’re looking at Jaime. When he says they’re not his type, Bronn figures they’re not blonde enough for them.

So Jaime takes the opportunity to call them over, introducing them to the hero of the battle of Blackwater Bay. Bronn leaves, and Walder Frey takes the empty seat beside him. Jaime’s clearly not impressed. And why should he be? The Freys have sided with whoever suits them best. Not particularly good fighters or strategists, they don’t really have a use.

We learn that Edmure was thrown back in a cell. Walder Frey thinks it was necessary, if they hadn’t it would give the family a bad name. Jaime sees the irony in this, they already have one. You can’t exactly carry out something like The Red Wedding and have a good name, now can you?

Walder thinks he has something in common with Jaime. That he knows better. And because of the Red Wedding, he assumes he’s invincible. He refers to himself and Jaime as two Kingslayers. Jaime’s face falls immediately. One, because he hates that name. Two, I think because of Brienne. He had a wake up call when he saw her again, a reminder of the man he is and wants to be. Sitting here with Walder Frey, a man whose never done any fighting in his life and yet somehow manages to continue on, it seems and feels wrong.

Walder continues on blabbering, saying that fear is a marvelous thing. Again, thinking he’s invincible because of what he’s done. But Jaime’s had enough. No one fears the Freys. They fear the Lannisters. And they aren’t of any use if any time a challenger comes along, the whole Lannister army has to come forward and save the day. He asks Walder why he needs them, and then walks away, because the question doesn’t need to be answered. The Lannisters don’t need the Freys. No one does.

Later in the hall, Lord Frey sits alone, eating and drinking. The serving girl who was eyeing Jaime earlier walks in and cuts him a slice of pie. Frey is disgusting, treating the girl as a whore, and asks her where his sons are. She tells them that they’re here, and he assumes she means that they are in the Twins. He tells her to fetch them, but she repeats that they are already here. He looks around the room. He can’t see them. And then she nods to the pie that he’s eating. He peels back the crust and sees a human ear. “They weren’t easy to carve,” the girl says quietly. And she pulls off her face.

ARYA STARK IS IN WESTEROS!!! She smiles and says, “My name is Arya Stark. I want you to know that. The last thing you’re ever going to see is a Stark smiling down at you as you die.” She pulls out her knife, grabs Walder Frey by the hair, and slits his throat, watching as he bleeds out and smiling all the while. It’s such an incredibly satisfying moment for so many reasons. One, Walder Frey is dead!! That in and of itself is a cause worth celebrating. But the fact that it was done by a Stark, and by Arya who saw in person her brother’s mangled corpse, it was justice. And something that’s been a long time coming.

And Arya is actually in Westeros. In the Riverlands, which means she might make it home in Season 7! But does she know that Jon and Sansa have retaken Winterfell? Even if she does, as much as I love Arya, I’m a little worried. She’s been living quite a ruthless life since Season 1. Adjusting back not to the same life they had before, but to a new life, might be hard for her. But, if all goes well, we could have four Starks reunited by the end of Season 7! Jon, Sansa, Bran, and Arya! Except, this is Game of Thrones, and the chances of the Starks getting that much of a happy ending are slim. But it is a good time to be a Stark, after all, so who knows!? Maybe we’ll get lucky.

THE CITADEL:

Sam and Gilly finally arrive at the Citadel, and this is the first time we’re seeing it! It’s absolutely massive, a beautiful white city with a tall white tower. They arrive when the Ravens fly, signalling the arrival of Winter.

They enter, and Sam hands over the letter from Jon. Now, I’d just like to take a minute. Does anyone else realize that Sam has no idea what in Seven Hells has gone on!? Since he’s left, Jon has died, been resurrected, killed the traitors, been reunited with his sister, fought a battle against the Boltons, and now is King in the freaking North. And Sam’s just thinking, “Oh yes, I’m going to become a Maester, and then I’ll go back to Castle Black and see Jon again.” Now, it’s not his fault. Jon should definitely write and fill him in on all the stuff that went down. But poor Sam. And the Citadel is even more behind!! They still think Lord Commander Mormont is in charge! Seriously, they need to keep up with the times.

The situation is irregular, and a decision cannot be reached until Sam talks with the Archmaester. In the meantime, he is allowed to use the library. Though Gilly and little Sam are not. It’s not quite clear what will happen to them, but I’m assuming Sam will find a job for Gilly nearby and within the city, and they’ll figure out some sort of living situation. But as of yet, we don’t know. That plot is one for Season 7.

Sam enters the library, and can I just say, I WANT IT. It’s seriously the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, filled with rows and rows, floors and floors of gorgeous books! It was really an amazing moment, because it’s something we’ve heard so much about in both the show and the books, and finally seeing it was mesmerizing. It had an almost steampunk element to it, combining future and very old characteristics into a most beautiful sight. And was it just me, or did the orbs hanging from the ceiling totally remind anyone else of the ones in the opening sequence!?! This is why I love this show. It’s the smallest details that make it so incredible. And if they are in fact the same orbs, this makes the way I view that sequence totally different. It’s just eye opening.

DORNE:

Dorne I’m kind of done with, to be completely honest. Don’t get me wrong, Oberyn was one of my favourite characters. But without him, it kind of bores me. And I’m not alone in this thinking. But Lady Olenna was invited to Dorne, because the Sand Snakes need her help, and Olenna came because she needs theirs. But the Queen of Thorns is not easily trusting. Considering these women murdered their own Prince, I’d say she has a right to be hesitant.

Basically this scene, as almost all with Lady Olenna, is her just sassing the heck out of everyone present. But Ellaria Sand tries to be reasonable. She points out that the Lannisters have now declared war not only on Dorne, but on House Tyrell, as well. They should be allies. They should fight together to bring them down, to survive. But when Olenna lists all of the family that Cersei murdered, it is clear she does not want survival. So Ellaria offers Olenna her heart’s desire. And when she asks what that is? Who should come out of the shadows but Lord Varys himself. “Fire and blood,” he says simply.

While I’m not a fan of the Dorne plot right now, this is huge. Daenerys has a massive army as it is, but having allies within Westeros? More specifically, allies that want to see the Lannisters burn? Now this will be useful! The only one I don’t want hurt is Jaime, and I can’t see Tyrion letting him be harmed easily. My guess is that he’ll speak with Daenerys, asking for him to be spared. But Jaime swore that if he ever saw Tyrion again, he’d kill him himself. But you know, a little brotherly tension is normal, they’ll work it out, I’m sure. That’s what I’m telling myself at least.

The important thing is that Daenerys has House Tyrell and Dorne on her side, along with the Dothraki, the Unsullied, the Greyjoys, and 3 dragons. Girl, I think you’re set.

So that’s Season 6!! I have to say, it’s been such an exciting one. This has been the darkest and most epic season so far, and it did not disappoint. We were promised girl power, and HBO delivered. We have received so many important plots and answers this season. We discovered Jon’s true parentage. Sansa got revenge on Ramsay Bolton. WE GOT A STARK REUNION SO LIKE THAT’S A MIRACLE!!! Benjen Stark is alive!! Well, kind of. At the very least he’s mostly dead. But still!! Arya is back in Westeros, and Daenerys has made new allies. Dany after 6 seasons is finally beginning her journey to Westeros, with Tyrion, the Hand of the Queen, by her side. Theon was reunited with his sister. It’s been an amazing season, especially for the Starks and Targaryens.

But let’s not forget some of the heartbreak. We had to say goodbye to some big characters. Margaery Tyrell, death by wildfire. Rickon Stark, death by NOT ZIG ZAGGING. Osha, death by dagger.

Ramsay Bolton, a character that we loved to see die, but also hated to see go. Any good villain is a loss to the show, and he was a great villain. Iwan Rheon, you were a genius. Well done. We’ll miss you, gorgeous, but we won’t miss Ramsay.

And of course, Hodor. This was the most agonizing one. From now on, every time a Thrones fan hears the words, “Hold the Door”, we will collapse in sobs. Dan, David, we hate you. But we love you. Thanks for giving us an amazing season. Keep up the good work, and if it’s not too much to ask, bring Season 7 as soon as possible.

That concludes my 4 part recap! Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and I look forward to chatting with you next season! It’s going to be an even darker one, if I had to guess. Winter has come, and this winter is set to last for years. We all, especially us Northerners, must prepare ourselves for what’s to come.

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Published by Maggie Stancu

Maggie Stancu is a Canadian film critic and recap guru who is obsessed with too many shows and films to count. She is the founder, editor-in-chief, and sole contributor to media news site Fiction's Mistress. Maggie previously contributed to pop culture sites such as ScreenPrism and Movie Pilot, and continues to contribute to Vocal Media. She's also still waiting for her Hogwarts letter, which should arrive any day now...
View all posts by Maggie Stancu